Brain Hacks

Scientists suggest that many hobbies can help stimulate our minds and stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia as we get older. There’s probably something in your life you feel passionate about. Maybe it’s bicycling, maybe it’s painting, maybe it’s creating scrapbooks or doing jigsaw puzzles. That’s the basis of your hobby— something that engages the creative centers of your brain. Hobbies help make neural connections between different parts of your brain. For instance, learning to play a musical instrument early in life seems to help children with the ability to do mathematics. Learning new words to beat your friends at Scrabble can build brain cells in the language centers of your brain. So think of something you really enjoy doing and make that your hobby. 

Trivia games can be marvelous ways to see how good you are at jogging your memory. When you’re digging around in those dusty corners of your mind for the answer, your brain synapses will be firing as they ruffle through your mental files. It’s even fair to buy a trivia game, read all the answer cards, and then test how good you are at remembering something freshly learned. Read the cards often and play against yourself to see how much you improve. 

While the memory training aspect is helpful, the real benefit of playing trivia games, according to a recent study, is that they provide a dopamine boost when you win—without the negative side effects of, say, gambling. A round or two of trivia can improve your mood and your attitude.

We all know how it is after a stressful day. Your stomach is in knots, you feel exhausted, and your brain is still racing like an overheated engine. You’re super stressed. And stress, as we’ve said before, is very bad for brain health—for the health of your whole body, in fact. A warm, lavender-scented bath is a great way to unwind and relax your brain. It also promotes restful sleep. Lavender oil in a hot bath before bed and lavender oil on your pillow can be very relaxing. One study showed that smelling lavender oil decreased heart rate and blood pressure, making people feel more relaxed. Subjects also noted improved moods after smelling lavender oil. 

Stressed? Fling a Frisbee with Fido. One of the most consistent findings among the many studies evaluating the beneficial role of pets in our lives is that they provide an important measure of stress relief. Simply petting or playing with your favorite pet, whether it’s a dog, cat, hamster, or canary, stimulates the production of calming chemicals within the brain and helps you relax. Watching fish in an aquarium has a similar calming effect. The calming influence of small animals is so effective that many doctors recommend daily pet play as therapy for their patients who are under a lot of stress either at work or at home. Fifteen minutes of tossing a yarn ball to some frolicsome kittens is a wonderful and inexpensive way to shed the stress of a hard day at the office. Spend time with your pet, whatever the species, and enjoy its company. Talk to it. Pet it. Scratch it behind the ears. Bask in the glow of the pet owner bond and feel the anxiety melt away. Even the most stressful day is no match for a puppy that’s so happy to see you that its tail is a blur.

Although tai chi is technically an ancient Chinese martial art, in practice it is more art than martial. In tai chi, you perform a series of flowing, slow movements linked with specific breathing patterns. Since it doesn’t create a lot of stress on the joints, and the movements can be modified, it’s a great choice for individuals with physical challenges, who are older, or who need a gentler introduction to exercise than the local gym’s turbo kickboxing class. 

Recently, researchers from the University of South Florida and Fudan University in Shanghai studied people who practiced tai chi three times a week. They found that their brains increased in size, compared to those who didn’t. Further, people who practiced tai chi did better on memory and learning tests. 

Research on tai chi has found it to be helpful for mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as well as for physical ailments, such as arthritis and hyper- tension (high blood pressure). Tai chi is great for balance training, flexibility, and relaxation. Because you must learn a series of complex physical movements, practicing tai chi helps keep your brain flexible. For a low-impact exercise, tai chi has a high impact on the brain. 

As we age, we often experience difficulty understanding complex arguments, completing math problems, and figuring out visual-spatial puzzles. While sometimes these issues are a sign of early dementia, more often they are simply the result of mental inactivity—that is, people who experience these problems haven’t been exercising their brain in these particular areas. Maintaining mental acuity is like training to be a professional athlete; you must pursue it vigorously. The future results are too important for this to be a half-hearted venture. The key is training and practice. You must treat your brain like a muscle, giving it a workout on a regular basis. Instead of picking a by-the-numbers murder mystery, read a more complex philosophical tome. Use a map instead of GPS. Troubleshoot your computer’s error message yourself instead of hiring someone else to fix it. Your brain may complain but you’ll be glad you did the heavy mental lifting.

If you’re prone to migraines, here’s more bad news: migraines have been shown to have long-term effects on the structure of the brain. One of the unhappy changes is that your brain creates pathways that make it easier for you to feel pain (thanks, brain!). Other research shows that lesions on the brain are associated with migraines. To avoid these downsides, you’ll want to get those migraines under control. Be sure to talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan for you and try to identify potential triggers, such as allergies and stress, so that you can do your best to avoid them. 

In addition, here are two supplements you may want to consider:  

1. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends the use of extracts of the flowering plant fever few to treat severe headaches. Fever few inhibits the release of two substances considered to bring on migraine attacks—serotonin from platelets and prostaglandin from white blood cells. However, it is important to note that fever few does not actually cure a migraine—it only helps prevent or lessen it. It can take several months of regular use for fever few to work. When using capsules or tablets, be sure to read the label carefully; some brands contain only trace amounts of the pure herb. Also, consult with your physician regarding dosage. 

2. Preliminary research indicates that taking a high dose (400 milligrams) of riboflavin (vitamin B2) every day may help prevent migraine headaches. Re- searchers caution that you need to make sure that your headaches are true migraines, and that it works best if you have migraines at least twice a month. Most riboflavin supplements contain no more than 100 milligrams per tablet, so you’ll need a prescription to get one that contains 400 milligrams. Talk to your doctor before treating your migraines with riboflavin supplements.

Selenium, itself a very powerful antioxidant, also enhances the antioxidant capabilities of vitamin E. Selenium benefits the brain by preventing oxidation of fat. Free radicals, a by-product of oxidation, are damaging to your brain’s health. Since more than half of the brain is composed of fat, preventing its oxidation helps slow age related brain deterioration and preserves cognitive function. In other words, selenium is your new best friend. 

Selenium also benefits the immune system, and some studies suggest that it improves circulation throughout the body. Because selenium levels tend to decline with age, older people should take selenium supplements in addition to adding selenium-rich foods to their diets. There is no established recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for selenium but note that selenium can become toxic if 700 micro grams (mcg) are consumed on a daily basis. 

Natural sources of selenium include broccoli, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, garlic, onions, kidney, liver, chicken, whole-grain foods, seafood, and milk. 

Daniel G. Amen, MD, author of Making a Good Brain Great, is a major enthusiast of table tennis, calling it “the best brain sport ever.” Amen writes, “It is highly aerobic, uses both the upper and lower body, is great for eye-hand coordination and reflexes, and causes you to use many different areas of the brain at once as you are tracking the ball, planning shots and strategies, and figuring out spins. It is like aerobic chess.” He also noted that it is the second most popular organized sport in the world, and has been an Olympic sport since 1988. Pick up a paddle and give it a try.

Reading anything is good for your brain, but novel reading is particularly healthy. A recent study by neuroscientists at Emory University found that reading novels improves your brain health by enhancing brain connectivity. Read as much as you can and focus on works that challenge you. The latest potboiler may be a fun read, but it’s probably as mentally challenging as a Dick and Jane primer. You can give your brain a workout by reading a literary classic you’ve always meant to tackle or by reading a nonfiction book on a topic you’re interested in but know nothing about. Read carefully, with memory and recall in mind. To help you assimilate this new information, discuss it with friends. So, to give your brain some exercise, find a comfortable chair and start reading.